Young people – speaking up for yourself

Some young people at a drama club have made a film about speaking up for yourself.

Speaking up for yourself is called self-advocacy.

Self-advocacy is about speaking up in a way that doesn’t get you into trouble.

Self-advocacy helps you to tell other people about your thoughts and how you feel.

Self-advocacy can help you at home, school or college, or work.

It can help you make your own choices and decisions about your life.

In the film children and young people show how self-advocacy can help you if you are having a hard time.

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In one part of the film, about friendship, you will see actors pretending to be unkind to someone. To begin with that person, (another actor), just puts up with it. She doesn’t say anything. This is called being ‘passive’.

Then she gets angry with the people who are being unkind. She is rude, begins to shout and tries to start an argument. This is called being ‘aggressive’. Being aggressive can get you into trouble.

Finally we see her talking to the unkind people politely, firmly, and as clearly as possible. This is called being ‘assertive’. This is the best way to speak up for yourself.